Donald Trump will return to the presidency of the United States in January 2025. One of his main campaign promises was the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, as well as ending the Temporary Protected Status Program (TPS), which allows immigrants from certain countries to work legally in the United States.

To carry out this mass deportation plan, Trump has appointed Tom Homan, former director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as his “border czar.” Homan, for his part, has promised to lead the largest deportation force in the history of the United States. However, this could have consequences for the economy, as it would affect various sectors of the country.

How Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan would affect employed immigrants

According to analysts at NBC News, mass deportation could lead to a labor shortage, affecting several sectors, including agriculture, construction - and therefore housing - and manufacturing, since these depend largely on immigrant labor. According to estimates by the media outlet, up to one million job vacancies could remain unfilled by the deportation of immigrants.

Labor shortages, in turn, would lead to higher wages to fill those vacancies, increasing costs for consumers and causing delays in sectors such as home construction. The technology and engineering sectors would also be affected by potential restrictions on H-1B visas, which allow skilled foreign workers to work in the United States.

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Mass deportations will not be easy to implement

Despite Trump’s promises, experts on the subject say that the Republican’s immigration policy could cost the country billions of dollars. US GDP could shrink between $1.1 trillion and $1.7 trillion according to estimates by the American Immigration Council. So its implementation will not be easy, not to mention the effects on the aforementioned sectors.